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“It’s not like he’s going around talking about death panels on Facebook,” said one top Republican strategist, in a veiled reference to Palin’s statements on the social-networking site.

While Pawlenty spoke with POLITICO about both the “death panels” issue and Romney’s leadership in Massachusetts, he shied away from directly or harshly criticizing his rivals’ positions.

“Barack Obama’s health care plan should have an appearance before its own policy end of life panel, to be put out of business,” Pawlenty said. “There is going to be some form of coverage denial, or rationing of health care, and I think that is a legitimate concern. I think that scares people and it should.”

Asked about Palin’s role in the health care debate, Pawlenty said the former Alaska governor is “focused on one aspect of it. I think the debate is much broader than that.”

Pawlenty said that “any fair-minded review” of the program Romney instituted in Massachusetts “would show that they succeeded in expanding access but failed at containing cost.”

“I don’t point fingers in that regard to former Gov. Romney. I’m sure had he been there these last four years he would have done something to change the problem, to fix it, to do something to alter it. But the fact of the matter is it has been a failure when it comes to cost containment,” he said.

Like many in the party, Pawlenty views the ongoing health care fight as a turning point, exactly what the GOP needed to spark a comeback.

“You can see not just in terms of the feelings, the emotions, the mobilization of our party, that we’re kind of at the beginning of a resurgence,” he said. “You can see through the polling, the pendulum starting to swing back Republicans’ way.”

“There’s no question that in the Democrats having absolute power, complete control of Congress and the White House, they have overplayed their hand,” he added.

GOPAC chairman and longtime Republican insider Frank Donatelli said that while Pawlenty’s approach on health care may not generate as much buzz as Palin’s sharp attacks on the administration, it is consistent with the Minnesota governor’s background and message, something that could prove to be an asset in 2012 depending on the makeup of the GOP field.

“That’s Tim’s nature. He’s a quieter sort, he’s more about policy. I just don’t think it’s in his nature to use heavy rhetorical flourishes,” said Donatelli. “I think if he becomes a candidate, his message will be that he has been a successful conservative, pro-free market governor in a very blue state. That would be the one-sentence description of his political career.”

“Our party’s nomination is more open in 2012 than it has ever been,” he continued. “There is room for a wide variety of candidates with different issues, different perspectives and different personalities. There is no giant standing in the way, it is wide open.”

Carleton College political scientist Steve Schier said Pawlenty’s positioning on health care is consistent with how he has handled issues as governor, managing to score a number of big wins despite operating in a blue state with a Democratic-controlled legislature.

“[Pawlenty] keeps an even keel and never throws verbal bombs,” said Schier, a veteran observer of Minnesota politics. “That’s just his style, even when he is making very partisan arguments.”

“He’s been the Republican governor in a Democratic state for some time, so it never did him any good to throw bombs in any political debate,” he added.

Pawlenty laughed when asked why he doesn’t pursue a more aggressive partisan line of attack.

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Pawlenty said he has three major objections to Democratic plans: the public option, possible tax increases on small and medium-d businesses and the “massive spending disaster” that would result if health care were added to a federal budget.

The Minnesota governor also supports the right to pool insurance risk across state lines, opening up private insurance markets to allow consumers to buy a policy from nearly anywhere, creating an electronic billing and prescription system, the prohibition of coverage denials based on pre-existing conditions, portability guarantees and incentivizing hospitals and patients to reduce the cost of individual visits.

One thing which he should do is to clarify certain points of contention:

TeamPOLITICO: Aug. 19, 2009 - 9:17 AM EST

"Apparently having a filibuster-proof majority, a 40-seat advantage in the House, and a president who was once really popular isn’t enough," Spain said in a statement. "Maybe if people actually liked the bill,Democrats’ wouldn’t have such a tough time whipping up... votes... within their own party."

***

But even that will be hard. The House-Senate split over whether to include a government-run plan is likely to make the final bill "very tough" to sell to enough Democrats to pass, according to leadership aides.

Let's hear that one part again

TeamPOLITICO: Aug. 19, 2009 - 9:17 AM EST

Spain said in a statement,"Maybe if people actually liked the bill,Democrats’ wouldn’t have such a tough time whipping up... votes... within their own party."

Who is opposing Obamacare? Let's hear that one part again

TeamPOLITICO: Aug. 19, 2009 - 9:17 AM EST

Spain said in a statement. "...Democrats... Democrats within their own party...."

..."very tough" to sell to enough Democrats to pass, according to leadership aides.

Democrats. The last time I checked, the term "Democrat" means: "not Republican"

The Minnesota governor also supports the right to pool insurance risk across state lines, opening up private insurance markets to allow consumers to buy a policy from nearly anywhere, creating an electronic billing and prescription system, the prohibition of coverage denials based on pre-existing conditions, portability guarantees and incentivizing hospitals and patients to reduce the cost of individual visits.

There are similarities between the above and GOP alternative proposals:

LITTLE TIMMY PAWLENTY is a COMPLETE JOKE even HERE in MINNESOTA .. I PRAY THE GOP NOMINATES TIMMY IN 2012 and AMERICA GETS TO SEE CLOSE UP HOW STUPID HE IS... HE is NOT AS STUPID AS MICHELE BACHMANN,, BUT THEN a TURKEY IS NOT THAT STUPID.. I CAN TELL YOU FOR A ABSOLUTE FACT that if PAWLENTY is the GOP NOM .in 2012 ,, HE WILL GET BEAT BADLY ,,, EVEN HERE in MINNESOTA ... SO ,, I AM PRAYING FOR a PAWLENTY /BACHMAN GOP TICKET ,, or PALIN/ BACHMAN, or HOWDY DOODY/ BACHMAN or MAGIC MORMON UNDERWEAR/ BACHMAN, or BATMAN /BACHMAN, SPIDERMAN/BACHMAN,,, DEADMAN/ BACHMAN ,PLEEZZZ,LOL

“I’m going to speak to the issues that the Republican Party needs to address if we’re going to lead and govern,” he said. “I’m also going to point out the weaknesses and flaws of the Obama administration, I’m going to help the RGA get as many Republican governors elected throughout the country as I possibly can, and I’m going to do all that over the next year and half.”

Pawlenty said he has three major objections to Democratic plans: the public option, possible tax increases on small and medium-d businesses and the “massive spending disaster” that would result if health care were added to a federal budget.

The Minnesota governor also supports the right to pool insurance risk across state lines, opening up private insurance markets to allow consumers to buy a policy from nearly anywhere, creating an electronic billing and prescription system, the prohibition of coverage denials based on pre-existing conditions, portability guarantees and incentivizing hospitals and patients to reduce the cost of individual visits.

Pawlenty is an idiot, and I mean that in the literal not derogatory sense, the guy just isn't very bright. But that seems to run rampant in the GOP.

Went to a town hall meeting of a super conservative (we'll get him out of office 2010...dangerous) who actually sat at the dais, in an overcrowded chambers filled with constiuents, and lied his ass off or gave at the most half-truths about health care reform. Then he took over questions and rambled and talked in length of superluous things that made no sense just to kill time...to take time away from healthcare reform..

We had but an 1 and a half hours to ask questions, and this Republican yahoo actually sat their and lied to his constiuents like we wouldn't know any better. Perhaps he was used to feeding that rubbish to Repubs, but the rest of us caught on quickly.

He was in a controlled environment in the chambers...he made sure a whole bunch of cops were there...six escorted him in and stood close by him Highly unnecessary. But real people approached him in the parking lot afterward, which to his credit he made time to talk with them. But real questions came out then, no more controlled environment, and he was totally and appropriately reemed in the major newspaper the next day. The progressives were the ones who ended up on the evening tv news.

Like Pawlenty, this chap seriously underestimates people other than his comfortable base. His position is now deeply threatened, all the more so because of blatant lies. Lies don't work with everyone.

Obama has already surrendered healthcare reform,,,, he's moved on to insurance reform and what ever scraps he can push thru Congress, and the Libs are still squealing...... Obama's failure, and legacy as a wordy tele-prompter crutched POTUS who spent alot of $$$ and didn't get anything done.

So there is an obsession now with finding out who the major GOP candidate's could be for 2012? Pawlenty? probably not but any rational person that has a head for numbers and governing looks good to America right now after the past 7 months of a disaster of an administration. At the very least Obama should give the taxpayers back the balance of the Stimulus Bill money, about 80% not spent and the economy has turned around.

Fiscal record ? he states his tax cuts and reduction in spending as a benifit to Minnesotans - well as a Minnesotan all that happened is my property taxes went WAY up , I beleive I got a Tax cut of about $18 a year and syddenly I am paying 700 more per year in property taxes

All he did was shift the cost to local governments that raised there taxes in order to make up the short fall